You know, I feel kinda sorry for the Mariners. Not sorry enough to enjoy the fact that it's kinda nice to have a division whipping boy, or to not hope that the A's send them to their tenth consecutive loss today, but ... well, OK, I don't really feel all that sorry for them after all, I guess.
Kirk Saarloos returns to the rotation today for the A's in place of the injured Justin Duchscherer, who's done for the year. (In other related A's injury news, Mark Ellis had his cartilage-repair shoulder surgery, and the docs cleaned up his labrum while they were at it.) He'll be opposed by Carlos Silva.
Expect to see Slide, Emil, Slide in the lineup today. Brown's been absolutely unconscious in his career against Silva, to the tune of 13/31, with 4 2Bs, 1 3B, and 1 HR -- with only 1 K. Hopefully he and Travis Buck can swing a couple of hot bats. I'm also rooting for Jack Cust to join the 30/100/200 club.
Well, OK, so, no Emil. On the one hand, I'm happy; on the other, with his numbers against Silva, it doesn't make any sense (one start here or there in the last two weeks ain't gonna color the future of Cunningham, Sweeney, or Buck).
